How do you earn high marks for client service and responsiveness while maintaining boundaries? Here are a few tips for improving your client communication game.
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A few years ago, I found myself sitting at one of those generic hotel-lobby-breakfast-buffet tables, choking down a stale bagel, reviewing notes for my morning meeting and unsuccessfully suppressing a panic attack. I’d spent a sleepless night preparing, memorizing every question and every possible follow-up. But with less than an hour to go, I was drawing a blank. Names, faces, terms — nothing was there. I needed to breathe. I needed help. I needed to talk to my very busy, very important lawyer.
So, I took a chance and called. Of course, he didn’t answer. But I asked him to return my call anyway (by 8:45 a.m., please), and looked around for a bag to breathe in. I’d read enough legal industry reports to know it was the rare attorney who returned calls at all, much less the same morning.
But after just a few minutes, my phone rang, and my lawyer was there.
Thank You for Calling Me Back
Hearing the distress in my voice as I set the scene, he asked if I had a pen. When I answered in the affirmative, he said, “Now write down these three questions.” I scratched away, and he ended the call by saying, “This is all you need to remember. Three things.”
He didn’t waste time telling me to relax or that everything would be OK. He didn’t condescend, and he didn’t wind me up with reminders of what was on the line, either.
He was calm and direct, and in under 10 minutes, he was able to get my head focused where it needed to be.
Honestly, I barely remember the meeting that followed, but I’ll always remember that lawyer and be grateful.
It might not seem like much — it probably didn’t register in his day — but that phone call made a huge impression on me, the client.
Your Voice Is a Big Deal
Most attorneys don’t need reminding that their clients are under extreme stress, often having the worst days of their lives when they seek them out; lawyers feel every part of that stress too.
Unless you wear your clients’ shoes, though, it can be hard to grasp the power of returning a phone call. While it may seem routine to you, and no big deal, hearing their attorney’s voice can be a lifeline for a client whose children are at risk, whose business is being targeted, or who has been accused of a crime.
Legal management and marketing experts pound it into our heads: The lawyer who returns the call will have a huge advantage over their competition — the ones who don’t pick up the phone. They will also earn the loyalty of clients and “endless referrals.”
Yet an astounding number of lawyers do not return client calls or follow up on leads.
A Few Best Practices for Client Communication
Even if you love talking to clients and great service is your No. 1 priority, you can’t take every call (some of those leads are terrible!) or be there 24/7. So, how do you earn high marks for responsiveness and excel at client service while maintaining boundaries? Here are a few client communication tips:
- Set boundaries. Be clear about your communications policy during initial client meetings. Something like: “Call me anytime except between the hours of 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. or on Mondays.” If you don’t have policies, create them and put them in writing. Be respectful and avoid negatives. Instead of saying, “We will not answer the phone after 5 p.m.,” try “Our office is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. After hours, we have a great receptionist service, so be sure to leave a message and one of us will get back to you by X.” (If your policy is “we return every phone call in 48 hours,” make sure you do.)
- Ask clients for their communication preferences. Once upon a time, there were clients who didn’t use emails and insisted on hard copy and phone calls; now there are clients who don’t take phone calls but prefer email or texting.
- Work on your intake process so you don’t have to handle every lead. Karen and David Skinner write about streamlining intake here.
- Don’t accept clients who aren’t a good fit. If you’ve been practicing law for even just a couple of years, you should know the types of matters you are good at, and that turn a profit. You should also recognize the red flags and know who you can help and whom to refer to another lawyer. Ideally, your intake process should take care of screening out bad fits and funnel the best cases your way.
- Don’t give out your personal number. But do consider hiring a high-quality virtual receptionist service (see above) that is responsive to clients and knows how to find you after hours.
- Think before you text. Some practices use automated texting for scheduling reminders and to check on clients before court appearances — but those aren’t personal texts. Depending on your practice and client base, think carefully before you personally text clients, especially after hours.
Clients can be demanding, difficult, frustrating and annoying. They don’t always listen. They make unrealistic demands, waste your time, and forget that you’re the one who went to law school. They get stressed and forget their talking points.
Try to be responsive: Return calls promptly. Listen. Be kind. Take steps to show your clients that, in addition to being an excellent lawyer, you are an excellent human.
More Client Communication Tips from Attorney at Work
- 7 Ways a Lawyer Can Ease Clients’ Stress
- Calming Down an Angry Client
- Client Conversations: You’re Not Bugging a Client If You’re Providing Value
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